- Date
- October 2, 2004, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pompano Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N220CKRobinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- FAA report
- 20041002029779A
- Case key
- 60372
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight crew's excessive descent rate during landing, resulting in a hard landing, and the tail boom being severed.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight instructor stated that he and his student were on their fourth or fifth autorotation, and it looked as if they were going to overshoot the spot of intended landing, so they performed some "S" turns, and initiated a flare. He said during the flare the helicopter continued to descend, and it impacted the ground on the rear of the skids, severing the tail boom.
Factual narrative
On October 2, 2004, about 1630 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-22 helicopter, N220CK, registered to and operated by Helicopters of America, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, made a hard landing at Pompano Beach Airpark, Pompano Beach, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated flight instruction and student received minor injuries, and the helicopter incurred substantial damage. The flight originated at Pompano Beach, Florida, the same day, about 1625.
The flight instructor stated that he and his student had been flying for about an hour prior to the accident. He further stated that they were on their fourth or fifth autorotation, and it looked as if they were going to overshoot the spot of intended landing, so they performed some "S" turns, and initiated a flare. He said during the flare the helicopter continued to descend, and it impacted the ground on the rear of the skids, severing the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N220CK
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3067
- Airframe hours
- 3,343
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Helicopters of America
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 11, 2004 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- PMP · Pompano Beach, FL
- Destination
- PMP
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2003
- Flight hours
- 1,560 total · 1,150 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 265 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 147 total · 100 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- PMP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.